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How to Pancake Ballet Shoes
Looking for a quick guide to pancake your pointe shoes for a ballet performance? Check out our tutorial on pancaking pointe shoes.
Every pair of ballet shoes are different. The different pointe shoe brands will use various shades of pinks and beige. But they won’t always match your skin tone. When it comes to doing onstage performances, your teachers may ask you to “pancake” your pointe shoes to get them a shade closer to your skin tone.
How to Pancake Pointe Shoes
Here’s a short video guide that will teach you how to pancake your ballet shoes, and we’ll include step-by-step instructions below.
Materials You’ll Need:
- Pink calamine lotion (for matching to pink tights) or liquid foundation that matches your skin tone.
- A wedge shaped makeup sponge to paint your pointe shoes
- Bowl or a plate for pouring the calamine lotion or foundation into
- Paper towels for dabbing the makeup sponge
Preparing Your Pointe Shoes for Pancaking
- Start by folding a paper towel so it’s able to absorb calamine lotion or the foundation without any seeping through.
- Shake the lotion or foundation well
- Pour some of the lotion or foundation for about three seconds into your bowl.
- Note: The more you use the longer it will take your pointe shoes to dry.
- Depending on how well worn your pointe shoes are, consider tidying up any frayed satin
Steps to Pancaking Pointe Shoes (Tutorial)
- Start by dipping your sponge in the calamine lotion or foundation.
- Tap the makeup sponge on the paper towel to make sure you don’t have any excess lotion or foundation. Note: Excess lotion or foundation will leave splotchy streaks on pointe shoes when applied. Remember, less is more.
- Next, hold your pointe shoe from the inside, and use long strokes to paint the pointe shoe. Do this in movements from the top of the box onwards.
- Paint around the pointe shoe and use the edges of the sponge to get into the creases in the satin.
- Don’t forget to get the ribbons! Lay them flat and paint them in long sweeping motions.
- Hang the pointe shoes by the heels to dry. Make sure they get a minimum of hour of drying time before wearing them.
- Don’t be afraid to touch up the pointe shoes with calamine lotion or foundation. The more use they get onstage, the more likely some is to rub off or need some touchups.
When it comes to pointe shoes, you’re going to need a ton of accessories to get them ready. Check out the BalletBox Pointe Shoe Kit for an amazing package of all of the ribbon, elastic, and stitching accessories you’ll need for your pointe shoes.
Good to know
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to pancake pointe shoes?
Pancaking means painting your pointe shoes with lotion or foundation to bring their color a shade closer to your skin tone or pink tights. Teachers often ask for this before onstage performances so the shoes blend with the line of the leg.
What supplies do I need to pancake ballet shoes?
You will need pink calamine lotion or a matching liquid foundation, a wedge-shaped makeup sponge, a bowl or plate for the lotion, and paper towels for dabbing the sponge.
How do you pancake pointe shoes step by step?
Dip the sponge, tap off excess on a paper towel, then use long strokes from the top of the box onward, working the edges into the satin creases. Do not forget to paint the ribbons, then hang the shoes by the heels to dry.
How do you avoid streaks when pancaking?
Tap the sponge on a paper towel first to remove excess lotion or foundation, since too much leaves splotchy streaks. Remember that less is more.
How long do pancaked pointe shoes need to dry?
Give them at least an hour of drying time before wearing them. Using more lotion or foundation will lengthen the drying time.